TMJ Dentistry Specialist | Restorative Dentistry
TMJ Dentistry helps to relieve pain caused by pressure in the jaw from misaligned or crooked teeth.
Temporomandibular joint disorder is a painful condition of the jaw joints. These joints get a lot of work during your lifetime, and they can become painful from overuse, injury or problems with the teeth that make the jaws work harder. Crooked teeth or a misaligned bite can sometimes cause TMJ disorder or make it worse. TMJ dentistry offers several solutions for TMJ disorder that can alleviate its symptoms and get your jaws back in shape.
Pain from TMJ disorder can be felt throughout the head and neck. The nerve clusters that supply sensation to your face and head are all connected, so a sore jaw can trigger headaches, neck pain and even hearing and vision problems like ringing in the ears or floaters in the field of vision. Other common symptoms of TMJ disorder include popping sounds in the jaws or difficulty opening and closing the mouth.
Pain from TMJ can be managed with pain-relieving medications or facial and posture exercises that can relieve stress on the affected areas and bring some relief. The long-term goal of TMJ treatment is to get the jaws in a position that relieves stress on them as much as possible. This can be accomplished with the use of a mouthpiece that is designed by a dentist. The device is called an orthotic or oral appliance. When you wear it, your teeth and jaws are gently forced into position to maintain comfort and stress-relief on the overworked joints. You can wear the mouthpiece while you are sleeping to relieve pain and headache. You can sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed and without pain.
“After I was in a bad car accident a few years ago, I have suffered from severe pain from Temporomandibular (TMJ). I have seen many doctors and specialist about it, but it wasn’t until I talked to Dr. Alaswad that I finally found some relief.”
– Dan
Dan has had pain throughout the head and neck causing sore jaw and headaches, classic symptoms of TMJ. Dr. Alaswad realized his misaligned jaw was the source of a lot of his pain.
“Dr. Alaswad gave me a mouthpiece to wear at night to help with my jaw alignment which was a life saver. I could finally get a good night rest because I wasn’t feeling pounding pain. He also showed me some face and posture exercises that have really helped relieve the stress brought on from pain.”
If you are suffering from TMJ, don’t live another day in pain. “Dr. Alaswad helped me get my life back, thank you!”
If you have a bad bite, crooked teeth or missing teeth, having these problems corrected could result in permanent relief from TMJ symptoms. When teeth are out of alignment, the jaws have to work harder when you chew and when you speak. Orthodontics to align the bite or restorative dentistry to replace or fix missing or damaged teeth can improve your jaw function and relief the stress that may be causing pain.
If you would like to learn more about TMJ disorder, its causes and dental treatment methods, you can call our office to set up a consultation appointment.